Pistols, as a rule, have single barrels. This is for a number of reasons, mostly to do with physics and the construction of guns that we won’t bore you with here, as well as tactical concerns that are also boring.

However, none of these concerns override the fact that a double-barreled pistol looks really cool, which is why you see them all the time in video games and bad action movies. And now, apparently, in real life.

It comes courtesy of Arsenal Firearms, who have, naturally, a ridiculous launch trailer to go with it:

This isn’t just an idle joke, either: they’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Colt 1911, a popular U.S. Army sidearm.

The key point about this isn’t that double-barreled pistols are new, but rather that this is the first one to manufactured to Colt 1911 specifications (the first one to be mass manufactured, period, in fact) and that it handles just like a Colt 1911. In fact, the parts are completely interchangeable, and each barrel shares a slide, grip and safety, which is a pretty impressive engineering feat. It even handles just like a single-barrel .45, right down to the accuracy.

It’s just absolutely ridiculous in how it looks, and it’s mostly for collectors. Or people who are one or two inches off in their shots.

About Dan Seitz...
Dan Seitz is a semi-professional nerd (he'll have to code a homebrew game for the NES before he goes pro). He grew up fiddling with video game systems, computers, cameras, and other technology you should never hand to an eight-year-old if you want it back in pristine condition. Currently, he lives in Boston with his girlfriend, her cat, a Shih Tzu, and far too many objects with processors.